Christis


	Contents page \| Christis archive \| Submissions \| Advertising \| Links page \| Meet the team \| Cartoons \| Subscribe \| Christis timetable \| Search Christis

‘One Father, One Family’

The 1999 H.C.P.T. Pilgrimage to Lourdes with Stuart Alley

Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the Kingdom of God. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it

(Mark 10:14–15)

Not a day passes by in which I fail to rekindle the memory of my Easter pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust. It was an unforgettable experience, one I yearn to share with so many I have known and met. People of all generations, all beliefs, all nations and all cultures gather in Lourdes not only to celebrate the rich history of its birth as a focus of religious pilgrimage but to share with others an atmosphere of warmth and vitality engendered by loving prayer and by the care for the sick. The theme of this year’s pilgrimage was ‘One Father, One Family’. I found it a very poignant theme. Some of the children under our care were fatherless; some came from broken families — but for one special week, each of us came together from across the world to become one family with one father, God. Al families stumble through many barriers — pain, anger, frustration, confusion, sadness... the pilgrimage is no different! But a pervading spirit of unquenchable bliss, a harmonious joy which is almost indescribable, overcomes these barriers and one is left spellbound by the power of love humanity possesses.

The workload during the week is exhausting but very rewarding. Most people on the pilgrimage are part of small family groups and look after the children on a very personal and individual basis. For the time being I am very involved in working with and in auxiliary youth groups who are basically prepared to help in any capacity, physical work or care for the children. My group are The Salesian Former Pupils and Friends - I attended a Salesian school and it’s fantastic to experience Lourdes with friends from your childhood. Apathy to any task remotely strenuous (a disease which daily afflicts me) is dispelled by the eagerness and enthusiasm of everyone pulling their weight and helping each other — up the steep and winding hill of the Stations of the Cross, into the baths of blessed water or round the pilgrimage walks of the processions. If anyone wants to know in more detail what the work involves, please feel free to contact me with any questions (email:sjaa101). For now I would like to talk about some of the highlights of a very happy week.

The Trust Mass is astounding. Every single person on the Pilgrimage squeezes into St. Bernadette’s Basilica; the arena becomes packed and an electric buzz of anticipation swells into the high roof tops. For the last few years our group have been privileged to carry the banner of H.C.P.T. into the Mass. This year I carried the banner with one of my group members. Upon walking into the Basilica with the banner, I was greeted by a sea of smiles and I remember feeling like the ‘Prodigal Son’ returning home to his family who welcomed him with open arms and prepared a joyous feast for him. A musical crescendo was seemingly bursting apart the building. Waves of vibrant colour, twinkling eyes and happy faces washed over me and tore down all barriers and inhibitions which imprison the cry of the soul. I felt truly liberated. We sang and danced with passion and laughter and we prayed in one voice as one family to one Father. But it was to the Mother that I prayed one night at the famous Grotto where St. Bernadette once saw a “beautiful lady”.

The night was very calm as I walked around the church and down towards the Grotto. It was deep into the night and the morning star would soon be arising. In the silence I heard the candle flames burning, flickering in the darkness, blazing the hopes and prayers of many. In the stillness, I heard the river rippling with the soft whisperings of the night wind. And there was the Grotto glowing from a lake of candlelight, Dimmed by the shadows of the stone cave against the moonlight. It was beautiful. I am unable to describe my feelings that night. Please go there yourself. Personal belief is not a hindrance. The Grotto is undeniably a place of great tranquillity, a place where you can just be who you are. Each time I have visited The Grotto I have felt differently and each time I uncover within myself something new.

Everyone’s experience of Lourdes is uniquely personal and different from each other’s. So struck by the universal magnitude and freedom of affection was I that I felt transformed as a person. I awakened to the reality of my selfishness, realising how little I thought about others; I was mesmerised by how happy people around me were — the old, the sick, the handicapped, the dying. They had so much cause for misery and yet their smiles and laughter lit up the skies with a brilliance more magnificent than the sun. And here I was moaning about tedious matters of triviality, portraying them as hardships. How ridiculous then that I do this every day when so may smile and laugh in the face of tears. The crescent of affection was so boundless and unrestrained — it reminded me that every one of us, despite our differences in belief, in ethnicity, in personality, is a child of God and as such deserves to be loved, I was upset at finally recognising the prejudices I harboured, the hurt I had inflicted upon others. As each day passes by I learn more from my mistakes. I am just grateful to my family and friends for encouraging me to follow my dream of being in Lourdes.

Finally and most importantly — the children. They are the reason why one goes to Lourdes with H.C.P.T. I find it almost impossible to recapture in words the tenderness and joy they bring to the helpers. For me, the ‘miracle’ of Lourdes is seeing a child’s smile break out through the binding shackles of pain and suffering, hearing a child laugh in the face of sadness and being hugged by a child for no other reason than that you were with them. It is a miracle that they can bring so much happiness to others when they themselves suffer so greatly. By their example, one discovers the way to enter our Father’s kingdom: with the trust, openness and love of a child. Through them, I believe, we were graced with a great power, with a love that binds every one of us together as one family.

Stuart Alley

Last modified: 25th November 2005